News 08:00

BULLETIN 9 February 8 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# John Steenhuisen warns against the DA leaving the government of national unity
# The Special Investigation Unit is confident the Tembisa Hospital case will continue
# And cricket: The co-hosts Sri Lanka and England are off to a winning start in the T20 World Cup

# Outgoing DA leader John Steenhuisen has warned that any future decision by the party to exit the government of national unity could be a catastrophic mistake. He announced last week that he would not be seeking a third term at the party’s elective congress in April. Critics claim that some of the candidates positioning to replace him are against the coalition agreement. In an interview with City Press, Steenhuisen defended his decision to join the GNU, saying it was the right thing to do for the DA:

# The Nkabinde Inquiry into the fitness of suspended South Gauteng Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Andrew Chauke, to hold office will resume today. Chauke was suspended in July last year after former National Director of Public Prosecutions, Shamila Batohi, complained to president Cyril Ramaphosa, citing several cases he allegedly failed to prosecute. The president suspended Chauke. The inquiry’s spokesperson, Tiyisela Mpuzana, says evidence leaders will present an application for the postponement of the public hearings by one week to finalise preparations for forthcoming witnesses:

# The Special Investigating Unit maintains that the latest order by the Special Tribunal, to return luxury vehicles believed to belong to corruption-accused businessman Hangwani Maumela, does not hinder its case. Maumela was flagged as a leader of one of the syndicates in the more than two-billion-rand Tembisa Hospital scandal, which was first exposed by murdered whistleblower Babita Deokaran. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago says the vehicles were seized from Omar’s Motor Den, a dealership in Witbank, Mpumalanga, linked to Maumela:

# Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi, nicknamed the “Iron Lady”, has led her ruling Liberal Democratic Party to a landslide election victory. She had called for the snap election to secure a mandate after she made history by being elected the country’s first female prime minister by lawmakers in October last year. Takaichi’s LDP has won more than 316 of the 465 seats in Japan’s more powerful lower house, securing a two-thirds majority. Together with its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, the bloc has won 352 seats.

# Cricket: T20 World Cup co-hosts Sri Lanka got their campaign off to a winning start, beating Ireland by 20 runs in the Group B opener in Colombo. Sent in to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 163 for six with player of the match Kusal Mendis finishing unbeaten on 56 off 43 deliveries. In reply, Ireland were bowled out 143 with one ball left. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, two-time champions England survived a major scare, narrowly beating Nepal by four runs in their Group C opening encounter.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 15-rand-99-cents and the euro at 18-rand-90-cents. One British pound costs 21-rand-76-cents, and Bitcoin trades at 70-thousand-695-dollars. Gold sells at five-thousand-18-dollars-88-cents a fine ounce, and Brent crude oil is quoted at 67-dollars-19-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….